This year’s Veterans Day weekend drone show in Pompano Beach will be back with two displays, more lights, and a new route for trolleys to shuttle a massive number of people to the beach to see it all.
The 7 p.m. Nov. 9 display will feature a 50-drone pre-show lasting about 10-15 minutes, followed by the big show. This year it will have 400 drones, lighting up the sky with shapes and figures with a patriotic theme, with a beachside twist.
(John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
The 7 p.m. Nov. 9 display will feature a 50-drone pre-show lasting about 10-15 minutes, followed by the big show. This year it will have 400 drones, lighting up the sky with shapes and figures with a patriotic theme, with a beachside twist. This is file from the November 2023 show. (John McCall/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
That’s more drones than last year, and the show will have more 3D elements, last longer, and will be higher, said city spokeswoman Sandra King.
“We’re kicking it up a notch,” she said. “We’re taking it to the next level.”
In 2022, the first show faced issues: Initially scheduled for the spring, it was canceled at the last minute because of the weather, with wind and driving rain that was blowing sideways, flying debris and lightning. When it was rescheduled, there were still wrinkles because some residents missed it completely because they never made it out of their cars because of the traffic.
Then last year, the show that featured 300 drones drew 10,000 people to the beach. To accommodate the people who were not able to get to the beach, the city provided eight free city shuttles that sat two dozen people to make loops from parking locations. But those shuttles too got stuck in the gridlock and there were hundreds of people in line before the the shuttles even started running.
So the city will change it up, again.
This year, there will be just one parking location, at Community Park, at Federal Highway and Northeast 10th Street. There will be 10 trolleys, and they will be larger, seating at last 30 people. They’ll also be able to bypass the traffic because they will either have their own designated lane, or the Sheriff’s Office will shut down a street for them to have their own route, King said.
This time there will be a “smooth path” and run more frequently, she said.
The budget will remain at $75,000, and a good way to view the show is to be south of the fishing pier. King said a side benefit is three hotels with prime viewing were booked for weddings last year, and at least one was scheduled for this November.
King said there will also be changes to the show, promising “all-new designs. We don’t want to use the same designs, so it’s a surprise.”
Last year she enjoyed overhearing the conversations on the beach: “As designs are starting to form, you can hear people guess what it it is,” she said. As a picture of four jets taking off of a carrier were starting to form, “You can hear people say, ‘It’s a turtle,’ ‘No, it’s a star.’
“It’s fun.”
Lisa J. Huriash can be reached at lhuriash@sunsentinel.com. Follow on X, formerly at Twitter, @LisaHuriash
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